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Hello, I am new here but i need everyone's advice. I am having a hard time choosing between a 2 years DIPLOMA IN NETWORK ADMINISTRATION AND SECURITY COURSE IN CANADA AND 65 DAYS BOOTCAMP FOR A+,NETWORK+,CCNA AND MCITP CERTIFICATION IN INDIA.

I am a Systems Manager for a Biometric Passport Project in Liberia, I am originally from Ghana in Africa. I have over 9 years experience in IT especially using Microsoft Products but i do not have a degree; i have high school certificate and some IT training certificates.

I have MCP (win XP) and now i want to either get the above certifications or get a college Diploma

65 days of training to gain all these certifications
Free accommodation for all the days
Free 24/7 internet connectivity
Free 3 meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Free airport Pick up and drop off after the course
Free pick up and drop of from hotel to the training center
All certification test vouchers included
A+, Network+, CCNA and MCIPT
US$ 7,150

The Diploma in NETWORK ADMINISTRATION AND SECURITY HAS

51 Weeks spread over 2 years
A college Diploma is given at the end of the training
The training Prepare students to write a lot of the above certifications but test voucher not included in cost
training also cover ms SQL database administration, linux and some programing
No accommodation, transportation included
the cost for this program is Canadian$ 16,800

I Want to find work in UK or Canada with whichever training i choose, which of the above would you advise me to choose?

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IMO, you can't really 'learn' an A+, N+, CCNA and an MCITP in a single bootcamp. You'll pickup some useful tips and tricks, maybe even spend your days on practice exams, but the certifications they dish out may not really be worth much. They'll be easier to pass for someone who already is in IT and has several years of experience like you mentioned having, but in todays world, there's a lot of people with these skills right now in the job market making it more likely for companies to hire locally, than internationally (international hires have to be pretty special as the hassle on paperwork can be quite demanding).

Having said that, a diploma may work more favorably, and you can pick-up A+/N+ books along with CCNA and MCITP study manuals and spend your free time upping your skills. A diploma may look better on the CV/Resume for international candidates.

Personally, I would avoid the bootcamp option as you will forget too much, too quickly, while the diploma course may help you retain your newly learnt skills better.

I for example took an 8 month course (8 hour days, 5 days a week with an exam at the end of each month for the module we had been studying) to get my MCSE. I was a low to mid-level IT guy back then with some server experience, but not necessarily as much as Microsoft recommended for an MCSE. However, as it was an instructor-led course, it meant that I got all the help in the world and passed each exam on the first go thanks to the fantastic help on offer. This also taught me how to do self-study (truth be told, the course meant I had enough free time to do a little additional study on the side and was able to follow up the course with the 2003 upgrade exams as mine were Windows 2000 based) and I can crank out an exam once a month now, even with a steady job.

But this stuff doesn't apply to all, and some fail and burn with the bootcamps.

Anyway, you mentioned that the diploma course is based in Canada, but you're in Liberia right now? I'm not sure you'd get the appropriate visa to go to Canada for a 2 year course unless there's something I missed.

Thanks a lot for the response, it is very helpful. due to cost difference and level of difficulty involved in gettin Canadian visa as compare with Indian visa would you suggest that i take MCITP AND CCNA in the bootcamp and do the rest later by self study?

I posted a thread here regarding basic assessment for work visas here. And while it's a basic guide, the higher formal education you have, the more points are awarded.

Personally speaking, I would say do the Diploma at college/Uni and then self-study for the A+, Network+, etc... As a Systems Manager, it shouldn't be extremely hard (it will be moderately hard though, but this is depending on experience) unless you do not work with Microsoft products (eg 2003/2008 and XP/Vista/7) and/or Cisco switches and routers. If that's the case, then do the Linux certifications and whatever switch/router vendor certs are applicable (eg Juniper, HP, etc).

Personally speaking, I would say do the Diploma at college/Uni and then self-study for the A+, Network+, etc... As a Systems Manager, it shouldn't be extremely hard (it will be moderately hard though, but this is depending on experience) unless you do not work with Microsoft products (eg 2003/2008 and XP/Vista/7) and/or Cisco switches and routers. If that's the case, then do the Linux certifications and whatever switch/router vendor certs are applicable (eg Juniper, HP, etc).[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the post, i use Microsoft products, 2003,2008,XP and win7, though i do not have certifications for those. I will try with the Diploma course next year, (have to make sure i have a lot of cash in my bank account first) then i will try. If it doesn't work out then i will try some certifications and then apply for some jobs in those countries.

by the way, i contacted thefullercv dot com and they reviewed my cv and said that i will be able to get a job in UK after they re-write my CV. I will like to make myself more marketable by adding either the diploma or some certifications. what do you think?

...by the way, i contacted thefullercv dot com and they reviewed my cv and said that i will be able to get a job in UK after they re-write my CV. I will like to make myself more marketable by adding either the diploma or some certifications. what do you think?

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The job market in the UK isn't as good as it once was.

Less jobs + more unemployed IT Professionals = lower rates of pay for existing vancancies. So with that in mind, you have to have something (whether it is specialised experience and/or somesort of in-demand qualification) that is lacking over here.

To be honest, with the UK/EU on the brink of a double dip recession, it may be more viable to look at Canada (haven't heard anything out there about a double dip recession). But the choice is yours

by the way, i contacted thefullercv dot com and they reviewed my cv and said that i will be able to get a job in UK after they re-write my CV. I will like to make myself more marketable by adding either the diploma or some certifications. what do you think?

Click to expand...

They would say that, wouldnt they. After all, they want your money! They are hardly going to tell you you can't get a job with your CV, regardless of how bad it is (I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying that they wouldn't admit you couldnt get a job with it).

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